Plus Ultra
by The Uncle Ruckus
Summary: Our protagonist bumps into an unlikely foe when out shopping for clothes. This single, fateful meeting affects the future in ways no one could have imagined. What becomes of our two Quirk Users? Do their intertwined destinies lead to salvation or to ruin? Stay tuned and find out. Takes place after the Cultural Festival.


**So yeah I thought I'd try my hand at some My Hero Academia fan-fiction because, hey, why not? Like it or not it's been a pleasure to write and I hope you enjoy it. The timeline takes place after the Culture Festival, so spoilers. Do give it a favorite, follow, and drop a review.**

* * *

Springtime of Youth

Chapter 1: A Chance Encounter

* * *

 **Tokyo: Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall**

The end of November and the start of October. Sunlit white clouds dotted the vast blue sky. Upon the breeze was a hint of chilly weather.

"This place really is something…" Izuku whispered softly to himself as he surveyed the somewhat hectic scenery around him. Dozens of men, women, and children in all shapes and sizes walked up and down the crowded isles, entering and exiting stores either empty handed or with bags in tow. He noticed the oversized styled texts plastered onto the store windows and walls, the alluring and dazzling items on display, and the fancy clothes garbed on the posed mannequins. The non stop chattering ringing in his ears and the smell of fresh food in his nose reminded him that the place had not changed much since the last time he had visited. The mall was a place for everyone where one could want everything and not need anything.

Shaking his head lightly to clear his senses, Izuku refocused himself, remembering the very reason he had come to the bustling mall. He reached into the pocket of his green sweater and pulled out a small tattered note. Written on it was the name of the store he supposed to be looking for, and as luck would have it, was the store not so far in front of him. Walking over and peering in through the massive windows he observed the inside. The store did not seem all that different from any other clothing store, however he had been assured numerous times it was unlike any he had ever been to before.

While searching for nothing in particular the young hero remembered the series of events that led him to his current situation.

Begin Flashback

 ** _Musutafu: U. A. Dormitory_**

" _So you're looking to shop for some winter clothes eh?" Sero asked rhetorically with a small smirk as he pulled up a chair and sat beside the shocked Izuku who had not been expecting anyone to have been listening to his mumbling monologue. Both boys were dressed in their casual clothes and sat somewhere alongside the windows overlooking the front entrance._

" _Well, actually yeah," he replied sheepishly, absentmindedly scratching the back of his head. "The jackets and pants I brought from home don't fit me all that well anymore, and I need some boots and other things too."_

 _He wasn't sure whether the reason for so were his ever increasing muscle mass or just his natural growth, through a combination of both seemed the most likely. His smile increasing ever so slightly, Sero raised a single finger, peering at his classmate with a single eye opened._

" _Well don't I have just the solution. I have an aunt that owns a store over at the Wookies Mall in Tokyo," he said proudly, "and I'm sure she'd have just what you'd need."_

" _Really?" wondered Izuku. He and Sero practically never talked about their families to each other before so this was much welcomed new information. The Tape Quirk user laughed lightly at the shocked look on his friend's face._

" _Yeah dude, in fact I'll call to let her know you're coming and to hook you up with a discount."_

" _T-That's way too generous Sero, there is no way I can accept that!"_

" _Don't sweat it," he laughed while waving his hand, "she gets your 'hopefully' continued business and you get a fresh fit at a good price. It's a win-win!"_

 _He failed to mention that his aunt had threatened to slash his allowance if he didn't tell his classmates about her store._

End Flashback

"I have to repay his kindness back one of these days."

Opening the door, Izuku walked inside. The refreshing smell of new clothes wafted into his nose. Several men and women walked aimlessly throughout the store, searching for clothes and shoes that appealed to them, however there were no employees patrolling as far as he could see. He walked up and down a couple of isles, gulping at the pricy articles of clothing. This place was going to wreck his budget for sure. He made a quick revolution around the store before stopping by the fitting rooms near the back.

"Now if I remember correctly," Izuku whispered, glancing around the store, "Sero told me to find his aunt, but just where is she?"

"Are you Izuku Midoriya?" A voice spoke right after he had finished talking. Surprised, he turned on a swivel, searching for the owner of the voice, but to no avail. It was then that a small jab to his shins brought his attention closer to the floor, where a woman almost the same height as Recovery Girl looked up at him. She wore a black outfit complimented by a red tie, brown eyes and small lips, her hair just like Sero's except smooth around the edges. On the bridge of her nose were large circular glasses. She didn't look older than 50. "Should I be offended?"

"Ah sorry!" proclaimed the young hero loudly, taking a step back to bow deeply, "I didn't see you there!"

"They never do.." she muttered quietly, slumped, before straightening her back to look up at Izuku in his bright green eyes. "My nephew Sero called, told me you're in need of some new winter clothes?"

"Yes ma'am!" he replied a bit too enthusiastically. A roll of her eyes followed.

"Drop the ma'am, I'm not that old. Name's Edna. Now to business, what kind of clothes did you have in mind?"

Izuku took a moment to ponder on the loaded question, placing a hand to his chin. He had a rough picture of an outfit in his mind that he thought worked well enough, but explaining it in such particular detail without sounding picky was a problem. He often wondered if anyone would be able to decipher his thoughts if given the time.

"Out with it." It seemed he had no such luck, however.

"Ah well, I was thinking, oh I don't know, something two layers, a full sleeve shirt and a thick jacket. Maybe a black face mask attached to the hood to further add some protection against gas and disguise myself. Some black gloves for enhanced grip would sure be useful. A cap to block the sun and to offer some cover, and uh some cargo pants for inventory. Oh and steel toed boots for sure. And some-" he was interrupted by a short, shrill laugh.

"You sure do got a wild imagination don't you there kid," Edna laughed joyfully. Now she was not ignorant, she knew just who the boy before her was, anyone who had bothered to watch the Sports Festival had to. Izuku Midoriya was arguably the strongest boy she had seen in the festival, both in mind and body. To be able to sustain his injuries willingly and continue marching forward, driven by nothing more than willpower was a feat in of itself. He had a long, arduous future before him, and without a doubt he'd need the help of those around him to make sure he didn't harm himself too much along the way and in doing so hopefully he could help out her nephew too.

She would be stupid to ignore him now.

A smile on her weary face, Edna turned sharply on her heel and began to walk down one of the seemingly endless isles, stopping a couple feet away to single the clueless Izuku to follow her. "Now let's see if we can find this outfit of yours. Any particular color palette in mind?"

With a small smile Izuku replied, "Green and black." Sero's aunt was nothing more than welcoming of his habit of muttering nonsense and even took everything he said in stride. She was providing customer service he had never experienced before and was sure to miss if he ever went elsewhere. She was short, but she was good natured and ultimately respectable in his eyes. Sero truly was lucky to have such an amazing family member.

"Ah, now before I forget. Izuku boy, stand still for a moment. Raise your arms up, yes just like that. Now just spread your legs a bit, a bit more, now perfect. Stand still."

Edna clasped her hands together and concentrated for a second. Izuku wondered why he was in such a strange pose, before his eyes widened in surprise at the sight before him. Edna pulled out from the palm of her right hand a measuring tape labeled with numbers and everything. She truly was Sero's aunt to have such a familiar quirk he exclaimed loudly within his head.

In a blink of an eye his exact measurements were taken, and Edna quietly hummed to herself as she jotted down the numbers on her notepad. "Now follow me."

It took about forty-five minutes, but Izuku was extremely satisfied with the outcome as he admired his fresh fit in the fitting room. He looked himself up and down from the full length mirror inside. The clothes he had envisioned within his head had come together very nicely thanks to the expert help of Edna, and with some quick modifications to meet his exact specifications, it sprang to life in spectacular detail.

From head to toe he wore a nicely stitched black cap to tame his wild hair, a long sleeved black shirt underneath a thick green hoodie. Over his mouth was a black pollution mask that when combined with the hat truly made him look inconspicuous. On his hands were black gloves, useful for holding onto things and easily removed. Further down he wore a black pair of cargo pants and on the bottom were red steel toed boots that provided just the right amount of comfort with grip. A balance between incognito, durability, and accessibility. His hero costume might need an upgrade soon too, he mused.

With a small nod to himself the ecstatic boy quickly changed into his old outfit before rushing over towards the register to meet Edna who was busy reading the weekly newspaper. She lowered it as she heard his footsteps, slowly removing her glasses as well. A few seconds later and the clothes and boots were rang up, and Izuku audibly swallowed his saliva as he saw the final price over the register. Almost quadruple the amount of money he was carrying, in other words, something he couldn't afford.

He prayed Sero's discount was enough.

"Now, since it is your first time here, and you are a friend or Sero's…" Edna trailed off, seemingly think to herself as she tapped her chin with a pen. She watched as Izuku squirmed as time went on, chuckling inwardly. A smile slowly crept onto her face and she looked down at the boy who she had helped pick an outfit. "I'll give you the family discount."

She hit a couple buttons and the new total was displayed atop the register.

000.00 yen

You could hear Izuku's jaw drop to the floor, and the aged woman behind the counter could only laugh at the dumbstruck look on his face.

"It's not everyday such a promising young hero comes through my door, and the business woman inside me can not let this opportunity pass." She raised a finger. "In exchange for this one time free pass you have to pledge yourself to become a member of my store and to purchase all your clothing needs from here until the foreseeable future. How's that sound?"

With a megawatt smile splitting his face, Izuku agreed hurriedly, his head shaking up and down like a motor, which only caused Edna to laugh more. Grabbing his bags Izuku turned around and waved a goodbye, only to narrowly avoid bumping into a man almost twice his size.

Bewildered, he could only mutter a soft, "Sorry?"

The older man wearing the nice suit with the dark sunglasses and a hat was noticeably shocked seeing Izuku, so much so as to take a small step back. "N-Nothing to worry about," he said nervously, his voice deep. "Now if you w-will excuse me…" he finished slowly, walking around the surprised student to the register Edna was currently at, turning a couple times to look at him before focusing on the short lady.

Izuku stood still, his bags held tightly in his right hand, and watched the man lay down some female clothes on the counter before talking about something with Edna.

As someone who had fought his fair share of extreme battles against opponents that would like nothing more than to end his life, Izuku was no stranger to always being observant to his surroundings. It was a skill his body was unconsciously forced to develop as he fought progressively stronger opponents, as being aware of what and who was around is a critical ability when in a pinch. Even when in crowded places such as the mall, he was always aware of where things were, where people were, and what they were doing using all of his senses such as his sight and hearing. Not to an extreme degree, but enough to roughly approximate know where something or someone was.

Now before his very eyes a strange man had, for all intents and purposes, snuck up behind him without triggering any sort of alarms in his head. They had walked directly behind him without making a single sound. It was as if he had seemingly erased his presence.

It was an ability he had witnessed firsthand before.

A cold sweat ran down his neck as goosebumps began to form on his arms. His heartbeat speeding up, Izuku quietly moved away and hid behind some clothing racks a couple feet away from the two adults attempting to eavesdrop on the conversation. This was no coincidence, he kept telling himself.

"So these are for your, ah, daughter you said right?" Edna questioned in order to engage in some conversation as she dutifully rang up the clothes and folded them perfectly into her store labeled boxes before placing them into the some plastic bags.

"Yes, she is soon to start her second year in high school and I wished to give her a present." He replied, his voice uniquely coarse. "Here's the money."

"Well aren't you just the best father," Edna teased light heartedly as the man paid with cash. The entire transaction was completed in an instant and with little to no time wasted. As she was busy printing the receipt Izuku took off. Careful as to not make too much noise, the teen left the store and quickly looked around for a place to hide, his head on a swivel. With time against him, he quickly walked across to the other side of the mall, choosing to hide behind a corner of some store. He made sure to watch the entrance to Edna's store very carefully.

He watched as the same man with the sunglasses and hat left the store, a bag in his right hand. Look ordinary enough, but a gut feeling reminded him that something was off. The grown man looked left and right a few times before he started walking left, unbeknownst to him, followed by a young Midoriya with a worried look on his face. It was difficult navigating around and through the large crowds of people at the mall, but he was able to tail his oblivious target to the exit of the mall successfully. As the man quietly continued his walk, Izuku took off to the rooftops, activating his quirk for the first time that day.

"Could it be…" he quietly whispered to himself. He couldn't call for backup from any Hero Offices because there was no conclusive evidence the man he was following was in fact a villain.

 **Tokyo: Near Tokyo Bay**

The sun still in the soon, had begun its slow descent towards the horizon. A cool breeze swept over the area, blowing in from the bay not so far away.

Looking both ways again, the suited adult silently walked into a dark alleyway in between some large warehouses. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a dial-up phone, however just as he was beginning to raise it, his skin and clothes began to seemingly ooze off.

Izuku watch with bated breath from the top of the roof above as the figure slowly dropped it's disguise. The form of the man slowly shrunk, a trail of ooze behind as it continued to walk, until it was revealed exactly who it was who Izuku had met the Sero's aunts store. The only person he knew who could hide their presence despite being so close to him.

Toga Himiko.

"To think I would see Deku!" she squealed happily, hands on her flushed cheeks. "What're the chances. Oh I was so surprised when you turned around like that my sweet Deku. Don't scare me like that! If I had my knife I might have just cut you up!" She raised the bag of clothes she had just bought for herself till it was eye level, gleefully smiling all the while. "Well at least I got myself some new clothes. Time to call Kurogiri and get back to base."

Just as she was about to call the Warp Quick user, the sound of something landing behind her starleted her. With wide eyes, she slowly turned around, only to see the object of her affection slowly charge towards her, glowing hand raised and headed straight towards her face.

"I got you now...Toga!"


End file.
